Shifting boards for ships&#39; holds



Oct. 20, 1959 E. c.'MAY 2,909,139

SHIFTING BOARDS FOR SHIPS" HOLDS Filed Feb. 1s,v 195e 2 sheets-sheet' i I InvO/'ztor {v4/5,57@ /174y BH ocx. 2o, 1959" g, MAY 2,909,139

SHIFTING BOARDS FOR SHIPS HOLDS FIG. 4

United States Patent O i ree SHIFTING BOARDS FOR SHIPS HOLDS Ernest Cyril May, Liverpool, England, assignor to M.E.P.

Company Limited, Liverpool, England, a British com- Pally Application February 13, 1956, Serial No. 565,214

' 4 claims. (cl. 114-75) This invention is for improvements in or relating to means for supporting or carrying shifting boards or the like in a ships hold. Shifting boards are a well known accessory used in a ships hold so as to control :or limit the movement of bulk cargoes such as grain which if left uncontrolled might impair the stability of the vessel. In general, a centre shifting board running in a fore-andaft direction along the centre line of the ship is provided.

The present invention is particularly concerned with improvements in the uprights or like members between and by which the shifting boards are carried and supported. Heretofore it has been the practice to have these uprights or the like extending from top to bottom of the holds. In practice, however, even with a full bulk cargo it is unnecessary for the shifting boards to extend more than a third or a half the depth of the hold from the coaming. On the other hand, with a part bulk cargo shifting boards may be required which extend up say a third or half the depth of the hold from the tank top or floor. One object of the present invention is to meet these two alternative requirements whilst saving considerably in the size, weight and cost of the uprights.

According to the present invention there is provided in or for use in a ships hold a member for carrying shifting boards, centre line grain divisions or the like, which is substantially less in length than the depth of the hold and has means at one of its ends by which it can be secured to a hatch beam so as to be suspended therefrom or alternatively to the hold floor or tank tops so as to project up therefrom.

According to a further feature of the present invention there is provided a ships hold having a series of members of substantially less length than the depth of the hold and suspended from the hatch beams or projecting up from the hold oor or tank tops and supporting or adapted to support between them shifting boards or centre line grain diw'sions or the like.

According to a still further feature of the present invention rthere is provided in or for use in a ships hold a hatch beam or the like having a member depending from it and of substantially less depth than the hold over which the hatch beam is to be fitted, and adapted to serve as a support for a shifting board or the like.

Conveniently the members for supporting and carrying the shifting boards or the like are of channel or of double channel section, the end or ends of the shifting boards tting into the channel or channels.

One specific embodiment of a shifting board structure in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 shows in perspective View a fragment of a ships hold,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a shifting board supporting upright,

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the upright,

Figure 4 is a plan view of the upright, and

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a shifting board sup- Patented Oct. 20, 19759 porting upright mounted Where a vessel is only carrying a part bulk cargo. t

The rupright shown in the drawing comprises an l-section rolled steel joist 10 along the opposite edges of the flanges of which are welded at bars l1. These bars project outwardly so as to form channels 12 along the flanges of the upright, these channels extending for the full depth of the upright. Located at one end of each channel is an inverted U-shaped stop 13 (see Figures 2 and 3) which is bolted in position so that it can readily be removed for a purpose hereinafter to be described. A-lso at this end of the upright are outwardly projecting lugs or snugs 14 formed by a plate which is continuous through the web of the joist and is welded thereto. These lugs have holes 15 near their ends for the attachment of `a stay wire 16 which can extend from the upright to the side of the ships hold in the 'usual way.

Welded to the other end of the upright are two brackets 17 which project in opposite directions from theweb of the joist. Each bracket comprises a plate 18 of right triangular form having a flange 19 along its'upper' edge, a flange 20 Welded along its hypotenuse and a stiffener plate 21 (see Figures 3 and 4) welded in position and extending between the latter flange and the upper flange of the bracket. The upper flange has a series of spaced holes 22 along it for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The brackets just described are secured -to the upright so that the upper horizontal flange 19 of one projects in one direction whilst the corresponding flange of the other projects in the opposite direction.

Assuming that the vessel to be fitted with shifting boards has a full bulk cargo then the uprights 1t) will be suspended from the bridle beams 23 of the hatch. Accordingly the uprights will be turned so that the brackets 17 are uppermost and these brackets are bolted to the anges on the underside of the bridle beams Z3 by bolts passed through the holes 22 in the brackets and through registering holes in said flanges of the bridle beams. This arrangement is shown in Figure l. The Istops 13 will of course be at the lower ends of the uprights so as to limit downward movement of the shifting boards 24 as they are slid into position in the channels 12 of, and between the pairs of uprights. The uprights will generally extend down into the hold for one third to a half of the depth thereof, this being found sufficient, and one stay wire 16 from each side of the hold to the lugs 14 at the lower end of the upright is also generally sufficient.

Where a vessel to be provided with shifting boards is only carrying a part bulk cargo then instead of suspending the uprights from the bridle beams 23 they are inverted (as shown in Figure 5) and secured to, for eX- ample, the tank tops 25 by bolting the brackets 17 which are now at the foot of the uprights to said tank tops by means of bolts, studs or the like 26. The stops 13 which would normally be at the upper end of the uprights are removed so that the shifting boards 24 can be slid' down into position. The same lugs 14 as before which of course are now at the upper part of the uprights serve for the attachment ofthe stay wires 16 to the upright.

In some cases the undersides ofthe bridle beams may be inclined or have a camber and the xing brackets 17 can of course be modied or fixed on the uprights so as `to allow for this camber and lit snugly against the flanges on the undersides of the bridle beams.

Particular advantages of the arrangement above described which can Vbe mentioned by way of example are that only one wire stay 16 and one tightening screw are required on each side of the upright to secure it to tank top. Furthermore, the weight of the upright is much less than that of the more conventional type and is much more easily stowed.

Conveniently the shifting boards or panels are of sheet metal or plate and they have inclined side ilanges so that they can be nested compactly one within the otherl for stowage when not required.

I claim:

1. In a ship having a hatchway opening to a lower hold, a plurality of spaced apart removable hatch beams extending across said hatchway opening and each having on it in suspension a channel section member, the lowerv and free end of said member terminating a substantial distance from the bottom of the hold so that the lower part of the hold is -free of obstructions, stop means in the lower ends of the channels of said channel section members and shifting boards supported between the channel section members of neighbouring hatch beams with their ends slidably located in the channels of said members and supported therein by said stop means. Y

2. The structure of claim l wherein iiexible tension members anchor the lower free ends of the channel section members to the sides of the hold.

3. In a ship having a hatchway opening to a lower hold, a plurality of spaced apart removable hatch beams n A me.

extending across said hatchway openin a plurality of channel vsection members, means removably securing one of said channel section members in suspension to each of said hatch beams, the lower and free end of each channel section member terminating a substantial distance from the bottom of the hold so that the lower part of the hold is free of obstruction, stop means in the lower ends of the channels of said channel section members and shifting boards supported between the channel section members of neighbouring hatch beams with theirn ends slidably located in the channels of said members and supported therein by said stop means.

4. The structure claimed in claim 3 wherein flexible tension members anchor the lower free ends of the channel section members to the sides of the hold.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 706,708 Wolvin Aug. l2, 1902 2,720,857 Rosamond et al. Oct` 18, 1955 2,750,914 MacGregor et al June 19, 1956 2,783,729 Guthrie et al. Mar. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 161,499 Australia Dec. 3, 1953 

